1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to truck accessories and, more particularly, bed covers for pickup trucks and, even more particularly, to a truck bed cover assembly whose configuration may be transformed horizontally and vertically.
2. Description of the Background
Small trucks (i.e. pickup trucks) are among today""s most popular and oft-purchased vehicles. A great deal of their popularity stems from a truck""s ability to simultaneously transport one or more persons (i.e. the driver and one or more passengers) in the enclosed cab, plus bulky cargo in the exposed, or external, bed. The cargo can be of the type that would not be suitable for the trunk of a standard automobile due to any one of a variety of physical characteristics such as size, weight, and content (e.g. dirt, sand). However, this versatility comes with a pricexe2x80x94the external bed exposes any cargo contained therein to the surrounding environment. The external, exposed bed compromises the ability of the truck in transporting certain forms of cargo (e.g. metallic tools subject to oxidation/rusting, electrically-operated devices that should not be allowed to get wet, materials that dissolve in water) during inclement weather. Moreover, items carried in the external bed are visible to individuals passing by a parked truck and are, therefore, tempting targets for theft.
Efforts to address these and other deficiencies inherent in the design of a small truck have resulted in a wide variety of bed covers. Many covers are designed for installation in only a single configuration (e.g. a typical tonneau cover, a rigid truck bed cap). Single configuration covers possess a variety of shortcomings. For example, due to its installation at the top edge of the truck""s bed, a tonneau cover severely limits the maximum size of objects that may be carried by the small truck.
While covers of this type serve a purpose, they do not possess the versatility of covers that may be transformed among two or more configurations. The present inventor is not the first to address the need for a truck bed cover that is transformable among two or more utilitarian configurations. Examples of transformable truck bed covers may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,876 to Reed, U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,669 to Geier, U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,896 to Li, U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,517 to Steadman, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,140 to Hoplock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,876 to Reed discloses a cover for the bed of a pickup truck that can be utilized in either a tensioned configuration attached to the upper edges of the walls of the bed to span the floor, or a collapsible tent configuration erected in the truck bed. The cover includes a number of components including an articulated support frame adapted to be assembled to enclose and define a chamber and to be disassembled for compact storage and several sheets of pliable material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,669 to Geier discloses a foldable cover for a truck bed that includes a bed rail with support hinges for a foldable support frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,896 to Li discloses a retractable truck canopy frame incorporating two rails fixed at the sides of a truck bed, several sliding elements connected to the rails, several main frames each connected with one of the sliding elements, and several linking rods connecting the main frames along the two sides of the bed. By pushing or pulling the main frames along the rails, the truck canopy may be either retracted or extended as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,517 to Steadman discloses a cover assembly for a pickup truck comprising a frame and spring urging arrangements extending downwardly from the sides of the frame to each side of the vehicle. A flexible cover extends over the frame and spring arrangements. The cover member is selectively rollable onto or off rollers such that the height of the assembly automatically raises or lowers as a result of the amount of cover member unrolled and by virtue of the spring urging arrangements maintaining the cover member taut.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,140 to Hoplock discloses a tonneau cover comprising a pair of panels which are pivotally mounted on respective sides of a truck bed. The panels extend laterally inward such that free ends of the panels engage each other in a closed position. The panels may be pivoted upward and secured in an upward orientation by a pair of rails connected between the free ends of the respective panels. In the upward position, the panels form a pair of side walls for supporting large cargo in the bed and the rails form a rack for supporting additional cargo thereon.
Unfortunately, each of the above-described, prior art devices lacks total versatility because they do not allowing the configuration of the cover to be adjusted along both a vertical axis (i.e. adjustable in height relative to the surface of the truck bed) and a horizontal axis (i.e. adjustable along the length of the truck bed). The Reed, Steadman, and Hoplock apparatus possess only height adjustment capabilities, while just the length of the Geier and Li devices may be adjusted. Therefore, there remains a need for a transformable truck bed cover whose dimensions are adjustable along multiple axes. Thereby providing a substantial degree of utility in transporting and protecting cargo of varying size, weight, and content. An apparatus of this type should be easily transformed from one configuration to another, fabricated of strong, lightweight materials for optimum durability/longevity, and economical to manufacture to provide for widespread use.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved transformable truck bed cover that may be adjusted in height along a vertical axis and/or in length along a horizontal axis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved transformable truck bed cover that may be easily transformed from one configuration to another.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved transformable truck bed cover that may be transformed from one configuration to another by either manual or automated means.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved transformable truck bed cover that may be provided in either a fixedly attached or detachably attached configuration.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved transformable truck bed cover that is fabricated of strong, lightweight materials for optimum durability/longevity.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved transformable truck bed cover that is aesthetically pleasing and economical to manufacture.
These and other objects are accomplished by a transformable truck bed cover that mounts on a pickup truck having an open bed. The cover assembly is transformable in height between a tonneau cover-like configuration and a fully elevated truck cap-like configuration, at one or more intermediate positions. At any height, the transformable cover assembly may completely cover the truck bed to secure and protect the cargo contained therein. The cover assembly is also transformable in length along a continuum or at one or more intermediate positions between a fully retracted position extending over the open bed only a few inches behind the truck""s cab to a fully extended position covering the entire length of the bed.
This flexibility in configuring the transformable cover provides for a myriad of uses not possible with either a traditional tonneau cover or a rigid truck cap. An example would be the placing of the present invention in the fully retracted position to dump a volume of dirt or gravel into a truck bed and then extending the cover to protect the cargo from the elements (e.g. a rain storm turning the load of dirt into a muddy quagmire). The transformability of the present invention allows it to be fully elevated and extended to maximize the size of objects that may be carried and protected in a truck""s bed, or to be lowered, while extended, to provide a small truck with clean, aesthetically-pleasing lines or to assist in maximizing the vehicle""s fuel economy (i.e. to eliminate the drag caused by air circulating in the truck""s bed).
The present invention generally comprises two anchoring rails fixedly attached to the sides of the truck bed, two cross members typically connecting the ends of the anchoring rails at the front and back ends of the bed, and two or more articulated cover support assemblies, extending across the bed, with an attached flexible cover assembly. The cross member located at the front end of the bed is fixedly attached to the bed and the ends of the anchoring rails. The cross member located at the back end of the bed is detachably attached to the ends of the anchoring rails. The cover support assemblies are stored in a substantially flat, or collapsed, position when the present invention is in an essentially tonneau configuration. The support assemblies are pivotally secured to the anchoring rails such that they may be pivoted upward to form a cap-shaped covering. The height of the fully elevated cover assembly may match that of the truck cab, or it may reach a height greater than that of the truck cab. The cover support assemblies are also slidably attached to the anchoring rails such that the flexible cover assembly may be extended or retracted, in an accordion-like fashion, along the truck bed""s length. Transformation between any of the various height or length configurations may be accomplished by manual or automated means. The support assemblies may also be provided with brackets for the transportation of items such as ladders external to the cover assembly.
The transformable truck bed cover of the present invention is fabricated of a variety of strong, lightweight materials to provide the durability/longevity and configurability required by the nature of its usage. The present invention""s design is simple and straightforward, and can be economically manufactured.